Susan Amorde

“In My Case”

(Los Angeles – March 2017) – For her solo exhibition at LAAA/Gallery 825, Los Angeles based artist Susan Amorde presents an installation of sculptures from her ongoing project which explores the notion of baggage- in all its emotional and physical manifestations. This is best illustrated by the 2014 work, Block and Tackle, 2014, in which Amorde ropes together four vintage suitcases and suspended from the ceiling by a huge pulley and held in place by an anchor. In this work she explores the relationship between floating freely and being tied down. Each suitcase is laden with history and exudes a unique personality. Amorde plays with these tropes, imbuing her works with a sense of nostalgia while simultaneously exploring the more psychological and emotional connotations of baggage.

The works on view range in size and scope— from the intimate to the universal. Baggage Station, 2017 is comprised of more than 50 ownerless cases carefully organized on wooden shelves. In this piece Amorde asks the viewer to imagine their contents as well as their diverse but absent owners. In works such as It’s Time (2014-2017) and Drowning in Indecision 2015 Amorde inserts antique metal portholes into individual cases into which she places small keepsakes that reference the passage of time or the notion of being hooked or captured. These thoughtful works become windows into the souls of the past.

It’s Time

Susan Amorde is a Los Angeles based sculptor and installation artist who received a BFA from California State University, Long Beach. She recently had a residency and solo exhibition at Shoebox Projects, Los Angeles. Her work has been included in local and national exhibitions since 2000. Recent group shows include: Personal Narrative, Annenberg Beach House Gallery, Santa Monica, CA (2017); South Bay Focus, Torrance, Art Museum, Torrance, CA, Zero Down Group Exhibition, 1019West, Inglewood, CA (2016) and the 2015 Los Angeles Exhibition, Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery, Barnsdall Park, Los Angeles, CA.